Having a gun is a right that is protected by the Constitution in the United States, and many Americans choose to own one. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there are approximately 433.9 million firearms owned by civilians in the United States. This means that there are about 1.3 firearms for every American citizen. The United States is the only country in the world where there are more guns than people.
However, the number of people who own guns in the United States is not as high as these numbers may suggest. Even though the U.S. has the most guns per person in the world, most Americans do not own guns. A study published in 2020 by the RAND Corporation, a research and public policy advocacy group, found that only around 32% of American households own a firearm. This means that the increase in the number of guns in the U.S. is caused by a small group of people who own many firearms.
These Americans Own the Most Guns
Montana
Est. firearm ownership rate: 65.0% of households
Gun control laws grade; A (strongest) to F (weakest): F
Annual economic output of firearm industry: $352 per capita – 14th highest of 50 states ($389.3 million total)
Gun deaths in 2021: 25.1 per 100,000 people – 7th highest of 50 states (280 total)
Wyoming
Est. firearm ownership rate: 60.7% of households
Gun control laws grade; A (strongest) to F (weakest): F
Annual economic output of firearm industry: $1,066 per capita – 3rd highest of 50 states ($617.0 million total)
Gun deaths in 2021: 26.1 per 100,000 people – 5th highest of 50 states (155 total)
West Virginia
Est. firearm ownership rate: 60.0% of households
Gun control laws grade; A (strongest) to F (weakest): F
Annual economic output of firearm industry: $143 per capita – 7th lowest of 50 states ($254.8 million total)
Gun deaths in 2021: 17.3 per 100,000 people – 19th highest of 50 states (319 total)
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Alaska
Est. firearm ownership rate: 57.2% of households
Gun control laws grade; A (strongest) to F (weakest): F
Annual economic output of firearm industry: $161 per capita – 10th lowest of 50 states ($117.6 million total)
Gun deaths in 2021: 25.2 per 100,000 people – 6th highest of 50 states (182 total)
South Dakota
Est. firearm ownership rate: 55.0% of households
Gun control laws grade; A (strongest) to F (weakest): F
Annual economic output of firearm industry: $447 per capita – 7th highest of 50 states ($400.4 million total)
Gun deaths in 2021: 14.3 per 100,000 people – 19th lowest of 50 states (128 total)
Mississippi
Est. firearm ownership rate: 54.1% of households
Gun control laws grade; A (strongest) to F (weakest): F
Annual economic output of firearm industry: $405 per capita – 12th highest of 50 states ($1.2 billion total)
Gun deaths in 2021: 33.9 per 100,000 people – the highest of 50 states (962 total)
North Dakota
Est. firearm ownership rate: 53.3% of households
Gun control laws grade; A (strongest) to F (weakest): F
Annual economic output of firearm industry: $126 per capita – 6th lowest of 50 states ($98.0 million total)
Gun deaths in 2021: 16.8 per 100,000 people – 22nd highest of 50 states (128 total)
Method Used for this Study
In order to determine the rate of gun ownership in each state, we looked at data from a study conducted by the RAND Corporation in 2020. The RAND Corporation is a research and public policy advocacy group. The states are ranked based on the estimated percentage of households that owned at least one firearm in 2016, which is the most recent year for which data is available.
The information about the strength of each state’s gun control laws was obtained from the Annual Gun Law Scorecard, which is published by the Giffords Law Center, an organization that advocates for gun control. States are ranked on a scale from A to F, with A being the highest grade for strong gun control laws and F being the lowest grade for weak gun control laws.
The latest information on the economic impact of the firearm industry, including all related industries, comes from the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Firearm and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is a group that supports the firearm industry. The economic output is up to date as of 2022. We used population data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey to calculate economic output per person at the state level.
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